FAMU K-12 Replacement Campus Completed

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida A & M University recently opened its new $24 million Development Research School, a six building campus completed in 19 months.


The 132,116-square-foot facility that will function as a K-12 school for nearly 500 students on the university’s Tallahassee campus was designed by Rhodes + Brito of Orlando. Construct Two Group, also of Orlando, performed preconstruction, site work, vertical construction and commissioning services on the project.


The new school includes elementary, middle and high school classrooms, plus an administrative wing and a cafeteria/auditorium with a full commercial kitchen. The classrooms feature smart boards and indirect lighting. A campuswide wireless network with a direct connection to campus police was also installed.


Two Group officials say the school saved $1.5 million through value engineering. The company has been tracking projects at FAMU for several years, says chairman Derrick Wallace, who, along with 35 percent of Construct Two Group’s staff, is a FAMU alumnus.


“We solved the project’s construction challenges through our team’s experience, long-term relationship with the architect and a strong partnership with the university’s facilities department,” says Keith Williams, president/CEO of Construct Two Group.


In addition to value engineering, the construction team had to revise the building schedule when plans for the air-conditioning system did not meet the specifications of the design.


Being flexible with the construction schedule allowed the company to work around the challenges and negate delays to finish the project on time. Negotiations with contractors saved the university money even as prices were going up, according to Wallace.


TLC Engineering for Architecture of Orlando did the electrical and structural engineering work, and J.J. Christie & Associates of Winter Park provided the mechanical and plumbing engineering.